Most fans can get over the Hollywood end of the last Formula 1 season, but there are only 95 days before the whole thing starts again in Bahrain.
Here is a foretaste of what we can look forward to:
Verstappen against Hamilton II
Max Verstappen competed as world champion for the first time two days after his coronation when preparations for the 2022 season began in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday.
Verstappen drove in a Red Bull development car and tested the Pirelli 18-inch tires that the teams will be using next year. Although Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff signaled the intention to continue to protest against the result of the race on Sunday, he congratulated the defeated seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton Verstappen and Red Bull on their victory.
Verstappen is testing the new supersize tires for 2022 (Photo: Getty)
Red Bull’s F1 advisor Helmut Marko called for the rules to be simplified next season to avoid a repetition of the controversial resolution that gave Verstappen the title under unsatisfactory circumstances and which Hamilton refused to do if race director Michael Masi had not interfered with convention under the safety car.
Regardless of the Abu Dhabi outcome, Verstappen and Hamilton brought Formula 1 to an exciting climax in 2021 and attracted a new audience that will return when the sport’s power couple compete in the 2022 rematch.
Ferrari’s rebirth
The big red machine finished 2021 with one car on the podium to end the season as by far the best remainder after Mercedes and Red Bull. That it was Carlos Sainz and not Charles Leclerc who sprayed champagne next season throws a fascinating light.
The result secured Sainz fifth place in the drivers’ standings, two ahead of Leclerc. The radical rule revision of the next season offers Ferrari the opportunity to fight sustainably at the top for the first time in the hybrid era and to regain Leclerc the glamor of a disappointing campaign.
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Leclerc was once entitled to the hill so excitingly occupied by Verstappen. Suddenly, his career challenge is closer to home when he subdues a quietly formidable teammate who secretly gets the job done.
Russell could be Hamilton’s greatest challenger
Russell waves goodbye to Williams and greets Mercedes (Photo: Reuters)
The assumption that Verstappen will be Hamilton’s greatest challenge next season could still be threatened by Russell, who finally gets his chance in a winning car after moving from Williams to Mercedes.
Russell saw his potential when he represented Hamilton at the Sakhir Grand Prix in Bahrain last year. A failed pit stop in the first run, followed by a puncture after falling from fifth to second place, cost him his first Grand Prix victory.
Hamilton loudly backed Valtteri Bottas to keep his seat for the next year, which speaks of either his admiration for the Finn or the security he offers.
It could also have been shaped by the embarrassing prospect of having such a fearless and dedicated driver as a teammate like him. Hamilton has Russell’s respect, but not his indulgence.
Expect Norris to be in the title fight (if McLaren gets pre-season right)
Norris finished second behind Verstappen in a poll of F1 fans to determine the most popular driver on the grid. Although Verstappen led the polls thanks to a strong performance among the 25 to 45 year olds, Norris won the hearts of the under 25 year olds and scored the highest score among the female voters.
The 22-year-old Bristolian dominated his teammate Daniel Ricciardo so extensively that he has proven himself to be the man to drive McLaren’s claims forward in 2022, with his in-car personality matching his appeal.
If McLaren makes the most of the opportunity presented by the regulatory overhaul, you can expect Norris and Russell, fueled by a Mercedes engine, to be in the championship battle.
Changes to the rules could level out competition
The 2022 cars presented for the first time at the British Grand Prix are designed for overtaking maneuvers. The return of ground-effect aerodynamics will significantly reduce the turbulent air destabilizing the vehicle behind it and reduce the percentage loss of downforce that drivers experience within three vehicle lengths from 35 to four.
With one vehicle length, the forecast loss drops from 47 percent to 18. The wider 18-inch tires are intended to limit overheating and reduce aerodynamic caster through the tire flanks, which also promotes closer races.
The front and rear wing assemblies are also changing significantly to give the cars a completely new look and to give the teams a clean design to eliminate any carry-over advantage / deficiency from 2021 onwards.
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While the budget cap provides a fictitious equivalency in spending, the immeasurable benefits that come with the weight of manufacturers are not expected to go away overnight. But at least on paper, the changes bring teams outside of the Mercedes / Red Bull / Ferrari dynamic into the title race.
Now the sport only needs the stewards and the race director to interpret the rules consistently in writing.
